Computers are widely used today to perform a variety of functions. For example, computers may be used to monitor resources within computer data centers. Computer resources may be arranged to meet service level agreements. A service level agreement is a negotiated agreement between two parties where one is the customer and the other is the service provider; it is a part of a service contract in which the level of service is formally defined. In practice, the term service level agreement is sometimes used to refer to a contracted service to be performed. Of note, the “agreement” relates to the services the customer receives, and not how the service provider delivers that service.
In order to meet the negotiated service contract, it is important that the available computer resources be sufficient to fulfill the contract terms. Conventional solutions to managing computer resources often over-provision these resources to make sure that service level agreements are fulfilled.
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